Kerning script

[enperror]

I'm not happy with the hanging punctuation in photoshop, but I can't work in indesign, where this feature is much more elaborate. I want to make a script with manual kerning on punctuation marks, but I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

function adjustPunctuationKerning() {
    var textLayer = app.activeDocument.activeLayer;
    if (textLayer.kind !== LayerKind.TEXT) {
        return; 
    }

    var textItem = textLayer.textItem;

    for (var i = 0; i < textItem.contents.length; i++) {
        var currentCharacter = textItem.contents[i];
        switch (currentCharacter) {
            case '?':
                textItem.characters[i+1].kerning = -300;
                break;
            case '!':
                textItem.characters[i+1].kerning = -100;
                break;
            case '.':
                textItem.characters[i+1].kerning = -100;
                break;
        }
    }
}

adjustPunctuationKerning();

 I don't know js well and i hope photoshop gives kerning manipulation in text layer 

[c.pfaffenbichler]

The Script (from the post marked as »correct answer«) seems to insert the kerning before the question mark, as intended. 

[enperror]

That's right, but the point doesn't change, look at the kerning before the “d”, it will be 0

where the kerning will be applied, it will be 0 before it

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Now I get it; if there is existing kerning (other than 0) one place before the intended kerning-change it is changed to 0. 

I don’t know why this happens, though. 

Photoshop Type Layers are kind of difficult to Script, I guess. 

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I did a test; even if I use code created with ScriptingListener.plugin that changes the kerning of two consecutive letters the first one’s is disregarded. 

So it seems likely that this is a bug in Photoshop ESTK Scripting. 

But as that is on »legacy status« as it is it doesn’t seem worth reporting as it seems unlikely to get fixed anyway. 

Edit: It does seem like a bug, but it seems one can work around it. 

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Please try this, it seems going backwards instead of forwards works out: 

// apply kerning before question mark;
// 2024, use it at your own risk;
if (app.documents.length > 0) {
//executeAction( stringIDToTypeID( "revert" ), undefined, DialogModes.NO );
var originalRulerUnits = app.preferences.rulerUnits;
app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PIXELS;
var theRegExp = /\?/gi;
var theNewKerning = -500;
//////////////////
try {
var theFonts = new Array;
var theStyleRanges = new Array;
// get font of active layer;
var ref = new ActionReference();
ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID("Lyr "), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt") ); 
var layerDesc = executeActionGet(ref);
var layerSet = typeIDToStringID(layerDesc.getEnumerationValue(stringIDToTypeID("layerSection")));
var isBackground = layerDesc.getBoolean(stringIDToTypeID("background"));
var theName = layerDesc.getString(stringIDToTypeID('name'));
// if not layer group collect values;
if (layerSet != "layerSectionEnd" && layerSet != "layerSectionStart" && isBackground != true) {
var hasText = layerDesc.hasKey(stringIDToTypeID("textKey"));
if (hasText == true) {
var textDesc = layerDesc.getObjectValue(stringIDToTypeID('textKey'));
var theText = textDesc.getString(stringIDToTypeID('textKey'));
var paragraphRangeList = textDesc.getList(stringIDToTypeID('paragraphStyleRange'));
var kernRange = textDesc.getList(stringIDToTypeID('kerningRange'));
var rangeList = textDesc.getList(stringIDToTypeID('textStyleRange'));
// process the list;
for (var o = 0; o < rangeList.count; o++) {
var thisList = rangeList.getObjectValue(o);
var theFrom = thisList.getInteger(stringIDToTypeID('from'));
var theTo = thisList.getInteger(stringIDToTypeID('to'));
var styleDesc = thisList.getObjectValue(stringIDToTypeID('textStyle'));
var aSize = styleDesc.getUnitDoubleValue(charIDToTypeID( "Sz  " ));
// check for default font;
if (styleDesc.hasKey(stringIDToTypeID('fontPostScriptName')) == true) {var aFont = styleDesc.getString(stringIDToTypeID('fontPostScriptName'))}
else {
    var theDefault = styleDesc.getObjectValue(stringIDToTypeID('baseParentStyle'));	
    var aFont = theDefault.getString(stringIDToTypeID('fontPostScriptName'));
    };
if (styleDesc.hasKey(stringIDToTypeID('impliedFontSize')) == true) {var aFont = styleDesc.getString(stringIDToTypeID('fontPostScriptName'))}
// add to array;
theFonts.push([aFont, aSize, theFrom, theTo]);
theStyleRanges.push(thisList.getObjectValue(stringIDToTypeID('textStyle')));
}
}
};
// the change arrays;
var theColors = [[128,0,0], [128,128,0], [0,128,0],[0,128,128], [0,0,128], [128,0,128]];
var newFonts = ["MyriadPro-Regular", "MyriadPro-Bold", "Times-BoldItalic"];
var theBaselineShift = 10;
// change text;
// =======================================================
var idPxl = charIDToTypeID( "#Pxl" );
var idPnt = charIDToTypeID( "#Pnt" );
var idTxtt = charIDToTypeID( "Txtt" );
var idFrom = charIDToTypeID( "From" );
var idT = charIDToTypeID( "T   " );
var idTxtS = charIDToTypeID( "TxtS" );
var idTxLr = charIDToTypeID( "TxLr" );
var idTxt = charIDToTypeID( "Txt " );
var idsetd = charIDToTypeID( "setd" );
    var desc6 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var idnull = charIDToTypeID( "null" );
        var ref1 = new ActionReference();
        ref1.putEnumerated( idTxLr, charIDToTypeID( "Ordn" ), charIDToTypeID( "Trgt"  ));
    desc6.putReference( idnull, ref1 );
        var desc7 = new ActionDescriptor();
        desc7.putString( idTxt, theText );
            var list2 = new ActionList();
//////////////////
// define each letter individually;
var theIndex = 0;
var theRef = theStyleRanges[theIndex];
var theRef2 = theFonts[theIndex];
var theSize = theStyleRanges[theIndex].getUnitDoubleValue(charIDToTypeID( "Sz  " ));
for (var m = 0; m < theText.length; m++) {
// check for relevant style range;
        anIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * (theColors.length))
        if (m == theRef2[3]) {
            theIndex++;
            var theRef = theStyleRanges[theIndex];
            var theRef2 = theFonts[theIndex];
            var theSize = theStyleRanges[theIndex].getUnitDoubleValue(charIDToTypeID( "Sz  " ));
            };
        var desc14 = new ActionDescriptor();
        desc14.putInteger( idFrom, m );
        desc14.putInteger( idT, m+1 );
        var theStyle = theRef;
//////////////////
/*// color;
        var desc21 = new ActionDescriptor();
        desc21.putDouble( charIDToTypeID( "Rd  " ), theColors[anIndex][0] );
        desc21.putDouble( charIDToTypeID( "Grn " ), theColors[anIndex][1]  );
        desc21.putDouble( charIDToTypeID( "Bl  " ), theColors[anIndex][2]  );
        theStyle.putObject( charIDToTypeID( "Clr " ), charIDToTypeID( "RGBC" ), desc21 );
// font;
        var aRandomFont = newFonts[Math.floor(Math.random()*newFonts.length)];
        theStyle.putString( stringIDToTypeID( "fontPostScriptName" ), aRandomFont);
// size;
        var thisSize = theSize *  (0.99 + Math.random() * 0.02);
        theStyle.putUnitDouble( charIDToTypeID( "Sz  " ), idPxl, thisSize );
        theStyle.putUnitDouble( stringIDToTypeID( "impliedFontSize" ), idPxl, thisSize );
// baseline shift:
        var thisShift = theBaselineShift * (0.5 - Math.random());
        theStyle.putUnitDouble( charIDToTypeID( "Bsln" ), idPxl, thisShift );
        theStyle.putUnitDouble( stringIDToTypeID( "impliedBaselineShift" ), idPxl, thisShift );*/
//////////////////
        desc14.putObject( stringIDToTypeID('textStyle'), stringIDToTypeID('textStyle'), theStyle);
        list2.putObject( charIDToTypeID( "Txtt" ),  desc14);
        };
// kerning range;
var list3 = new ActionList();
if (kernRange.count > 0) {
var kernIndex = kernRange.count-1;
var thisOne = kernRange.getObjectValue(kernIndex);
var theFrom = thisOne.getInteger(charIDToTypeID("From"));
var theTo = thisOne.getInteger(charIDToTypeID( "T   " ));
var theKerning = thisOne.getInteger(stringIDToTypeID("kerning"));
} else {theFrom = undefined};
for (var m = theText.length-1; m >= 0; m--) {
    if (m == theFrom) {
        var desc15 = new ActionDescriptor();
        desc15.putInteger( idFrom, m );
        desc15.putInteger( idT, m+1 );
        desc15.putInteger( charIDToTypeID( "Krng" ), theKerning);
        list3.putObject( stringIDToTypeID( "kerningRange"),  desc15);
            kernIndex--;
            if (kernIndex >= 0) {
            var thisOne = kernRange.getObjectValue(kernIndex);
            var theFrom = thisOne.getInteger(charIDToTypeID("From"));
            var theTo = thisOne.getInteger(charIDToTypeID( "T   " ));
            var theKerning = thisOne.getInteger(stringIDToTypeID("kerning"));
            }
        };
    if (theText[m].match(theRegExp) != null) {
        var desc15 = new ActionDescriptor();
        desc15.putInteger( idFrom, m-1 );
        desc15.putInteger( idT, m );
        desc15.putInteger( charIDToTypeID( "Krng" ), theNewKerning);
        list3.putObject( stringIDToTypeID( "kerningRange"),  desc15);
        };
    };
//////////////////
    desc7.putList( idTxtt, list2 );
    desc7.putList( stringIDToTypeID( "kerningRange"), list3);
//////////////////
    desc6.putObject( idT, idTxLr, desc7 );
executeAction( idsetd, desc6, DialogModes.NO );
}
catch (e) {};
app.preferences.rulerUnits = originalRulerUnits;
};

edited 2024-12-03

[enperror]

What version of photoshop are you using? I tried to use the script, but on versions 2024 (25.12, 25.06, 25.03) I got one error 8800 and that the “revert” function is not available in the current version. I also tried on the latest version (26.1) and 2022 (23.1.0) but the error is the same. on pc

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I updated the code, please try again.